After reading all the bike-to-bike comm threads, I just pulled the trigger on the Scala Q2 multi-set, but still have a couple questions for those who have them already.

I'm considering biggziff's earbud mod; nicely done. Like him, I have my favorite ear buds that I listen to my iPod with (I won't be using cellphone or GPS-audio functions). The units we're getting have the MP3 stereo port, and I'm wondering how that will work before deciding whether to pursue the earbud mod or not:

1. If I plug the iPod into the MP3 port, will my wife's angelic voice silence the iPod audio when she speaks? -- if not, the rest of the questions are irrelevant 'cause I'd just keep the stock speakers and turn the Scala up loud to hear over the iPod earbuds, and manually pause the iPod if I couldn't hear her or if we were having an extended conversation. However, if the answer is "yes"...

2. Will running the iPod through the Scala Q2 affect the Q2 battery life as opposed to just using the Scala intermittently for bike-to-bike voice? -- is the MP3 port just a pass-through, or is the Q2 continuously consuming it's battery charge doing something with the iPod signal.

4. Does the Scala Q2 monitor ambient noise and change the volume of the iPod signal? -- (I think that would drive me nuts).

A couple of other questions:

5. Has anyone rigged up a 12V charger? Can someone post the charger output info as printed on the charger? I'm considering using them on Mobius III, and we'll be camping a lot.

6. Anyone have experience using them while wearing a Leatt brace? Any interference?

Thanks

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

After reading all the bike-to-bike comm threads, I just pulled the trigger on the Scala Q2 multi-set, but still have a couple questions for those who have them already.

I'm considering biggziff's earbud mod; nicely done. Like him, I have my favorite ear buds that I listen to my iPod with (I won't be using cellphone or GPS-audio functions). The units we're getting have the MP3 stereo port, and I'm wondering how that will work before deciding whether to pursue the earbud mod or not:

1. If I plug the iPod into the MP3 port, will my wife's angelic voice silence the iPod audio when she speaks? -- if not, the rest of the questions are irrelevant 'cause I'd just keep the stock speakers and turn the Scala up loud to hear over the iPod earbuds, and manually pause the iPod if I couldn't hear her or if we were having an extended conversation. However, if the answer is "yes"...

If you call Cardo, they can explain the priority of the devices, but I think it's intercom/bike to bike, then bluetooth devices, but Cardo can confirm this.

2. Will running the iPod through the Scala Q2 affect the Q2 battery life as opposed to just using the Scala intermittently for bike-to-bike voice? -- is the MP3 port just a pass-through, or is the Q2 continuously consuming it's battery charge doing something with the iPod signal.

I don't believe this will have an effect on the battery as you're only using the wiring to the speakers (no amplifier is present)

...and stayed up late doing the earbud mod to one set, and then played around with them a little. Just for future thread-searchers, I'll add some info to answer my own questions, and tomorrow when I mod the second unit, I'll post up a detailed step-by-step how-to on biggziff's earbud mod using the updated stereo mp3 units, and some soldering action shots.

So first, how does the MP3 port function? The MP3 audio has the lowest priority. When the intercom (or a bluetooth phone call, or GPS voice prompt) is activated, the music fades out over 1-2 seconds, and you can have a conversation. When the conversation is ended, either by 30 sec of silence after a voice-activated connection, or after pressing the button to hang up after a button-activated connection, the music fades in again over 1-2 sec. Obvoulsly, the Scala can't pause your iPod, so if you're listening to an audio-book or podcast or something, you'll miss some.

One thing I noticed is that to activate with voice, you have to have the mic almost in your mouth, and kind of shout. Probably not a big deal when riding, but inappropriate at 1am when your spouse is trying to sleep while you're playing around with the new toys. At first I thought the voice-activation wasn't working 'till I figured this out. It takes about one loud word until the connection is made. On the initiator's headset, there's a beep confirming that the voice connection is good to go, on the other one, there's no beep, but the music stops.

Next issue: the mp3 port is NOT simply a pass-through, but close. To my ear, there is some processing that occurs in the scala to the mp3 signal, but not much. As a consequence, I would expect the scala battery life to be slightly less when running an mp3 through it than if it were simply in stand-by, monitoring for a conversation, but probably not significantly. Real-world testing will have to wait, and I don't particularly care how much less it is, only if it is still plenty to last a day's ride.

How is the mp3 sound different when run through the scala? Well, in short, it's not as full. It's still in stereo, but the overall volume is slightly less, and the bass is diminished compared to plugging the earbuds directly into the iPod. Right/Left separation is incomplete... that is to say that even with the balance full left, there's still some sound out the right earbud and vice-versa. My suspicion is that there's some attempt at surround-sound aural dimensionality and depth added by the scala q2 via some signal splitting and delay. It's not horrible though. I normally listen to the iPod with etymotic ER-6i's, the volume locked to about 3/4 full, and EQ set to "flat". To achieve similar sound and levels running the iPod through the Scala mp3 port, I had to boost the bass, and increase the volume to 4/5ths. Still not exactly the same, but close enough, and good enough to not feel like I'd be having a significantly better experience listening directly plugged into the iPod.

BTW, volume control on the Scala does NOT affect MP3 volume at all. That can only be adjusted on the iPod. I'm still not certain if there's any active volume managment by the scala to the mp3 signal to compensate for ambient noise, but I doubt it.

Charging: It comes with two plug-in chargers which are quite small, all things considered. Cardo has single chargers with two plugs available on their website... they should have included one of those, and one 12v. Not including a 12v charger is an oversight, but I found them available on-line, and have one on order from an ebay vendor. $14 shipped. The charging specs are 9vDC & 0.3a, so nothing I had would work. The plug from the fuji f-30 camera fit (snugly), but that's charging at usb voltage (5vDC), and insufficient for charging the Q2's. The red light illuminated, and I was excited at first, but then it went off after a few seconds.

I haven't tried the fit with the Leatt brace yet, I'll update once I do.

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

Thanks for the update. I just ordered a multi-set for the misses and I Sunday night. She said she'll be fine with the speakers, but I want to mod mine to use my ER-6i's also. I don't mind the helmet speakers around town, but on a trip, I want my earphones.

Thanks for the update. I just ordered a multi-set for the misses and I Sunday night. She said she'll be fine with the speakers, but I want to mod mine to use my ER-6i's also. I don't mind the helmet speakers around town, but on a trip, I want my earphones.

I bought a set of helmet speakers that had an 3.5mm plug on them and leave them in the helmet. Like you, I prefer them on shorter trips.

__________________
"Fools you are. To say you learn by your experience. I prefer to profit by others' mistakes and avoid the price of my own."

In the past I would use a FM tranmitter to transmit my GPS/MP3 to the Q2. This was a fine set up although in mono. The battery life would be approximatly 5 hours. The battery life is certainly affected by teh volume settign used with this setup as i use ear plugs and will havet he volume at full or a notch below. The sound quality with the earplugs in is quite good and clear. Wind noise greatly diminishes the quality.

Using the MP3 port in place of the FM transmitter i find the life is longer. I have been on for 6 hours and never got to the point of the low battery beep.

Regarding the Leets brace. I think this will depend on your position on the bike. I ride a ZX6 and occationally the unit will catch my jacket when I turn my head.

1. Your favorite bevarage: (it was still too early for real drinkin' so iced coffee)
2. Your Cardo Scala Rider Q2 unit.
3. A small sharp scissors
4. A forceps or clamp or a third hand
5. A moistened towel (damp) or a wet sponge.
6. Some white-out.
Some stuff from RadioShack (links to product #'s) or equivalent:
7. A 15W (low wattage-- for small jobs) soldering iron. Ideally with a small tip. ($8.99)
8. Some rosin-core solder. I used Standard 60/40 formula for electronics work. 0.032” in diameter. ($5.49)
9. 1/8" STEREO (not mono) Male plugs and Female jacks. Sold in pairs ($3.99 /ea).

Next, have a quick review of some soldering basics: Here's a good one, this one too, and a third. OK, that's enough. It's not that hard, but you have to remember a few key points:
1. "Tinning" is essential.
2. You've got to heat the wires enough to burn off the varnish, but not so much to melt down insulation, or trash the wire.
3. Take your time, it's all in the set-up.
4. Pay attention to your appendages, wires, clothes, etc... the soldering iron will burn you and trash your project in a heartbeat if something inadvertently touches it.

I get a big-assed binder clamp and affix the cord to the side of the desk to minimize the chance that the weight of the cord will pull the iron while I'm working.

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

When I was half-way through the first unit, I realized I had forgotten which of the cut ends was right and which was left soooo....

white is right!

Next is the scary part... cut the wires... Not too close to the unit, or soldering that end will be a pain, but not too far if you're going to salvage the speakers like I did. Just right...

Now is a good time to plug in the soldering iron and let it warm up. Oh, and if you read the basics, you will know to tin the tip:

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

Fold back the striped green, and the solid copper wires. We won't be using those.

For the right (white mark) ear (upper wire) we'll be using the solid green and solid red wires, and for the left ear we'll use the solid blue and the striped red wires below.

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

Wipe the solder off the tip from when you tinned it. You want to clean the tip frequently:

Lay the end of one of the wires onto the hot tip, let it heat up for a few seconds, and then dab the soldering wire onto it so it melts into it.

At first, the solder probably won't stick to the wire, so keep brushing the wire in the molten solder drip that has by now accumulated on the tip of the iron until the varnish burns off, and the solder starts to stick to the bare metal of the wire. Take your time.

If it gets ugly, as above, clean off the tip, and start again. Eventually, you will have tinned the wires, and hopefully not destroyed them.

Repeat the process until all eight wires are tinned. Here are the four on the speaker end, ready for the next step:

Which is... THREAD THE WIRES THROUGH THE PLASTIC PART!!!

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

Since I don't have much experience soldering audio wires, I wanted to practice first by soldering a male plug onto the helmet speakers. I probably won't use them, but I figured if I screwed it up, I could just toss them, and pay someone to do the money end of the job the right way. If I was successful, I'd have helmet speakers as a bonus.

Here's where you need to be extra careful. Some of the reviews on the RadioShack website were critical of these components, complaining that the internal plastic insulation melted while soldering them. Probably using a 45W iron, and heating it too long. The goal is to drop a small bead of solder on the three tabs, so when it's time to make the final connection, you won't have to even have the soldering wire in your hand. Start with the sleeve:

[A short break first, to discuss audio connection anatomy:

OK, break time is over. Back to work.]

So, tinning the sleeve (ground):

Nice:

I don't worry too much about the holes... I'm not looping the wire and twisting it into it... just doing a surface solder. I tried, and it's just too tight and hard. If it gets tugged too hard (unlikely) and breaks away, no biggie, I'll just re-solder it.

Next the ring, and the tip, in no particular order:

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

Since they're already tinned, you probably won't have to add solder, but simply touch the twisted end to the tip of the iron briefly, and they'll stick together:

Next, melt the droplet on the sleeve, and stick the twisted ground wires to it. I looped the wires around, and soldered them coming from the other direction. This functioned to take up some slack, and place the black insulation where it could easily be crimped into the sleeve, and place the other two wires right next to their respective targets:

place the black insulation into the sleeve, but don't crimp it down yet...

'cause first, we're going to...

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space

plug into an audio source, and very carefully touch first one, and then the other of the remaining wires to the solder droplets, and listen to the speakers.

Confirm that right is right, and left is left, and all is good so far.

__________________"I came into this game for the action, the excitement; go anywhere, travel light... get in, get out... wherever there's trouble, a man alone... Now they got the whole country sectioned off; you can't make a move without a form." --Robert De Niro as Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle in Brazil, 1985. The Mobius Tripindex | Spot tracking live 4/18-5/4/13 | AdventureLoft™ Tent Space